It’s no secret that I love Cassie Clare’s shadowhunter books.
It’s also clear that I love Simon Lewis.
So, it’s kind of obvious that I got so excited when Cassie announced Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, a series of short stories released each month as ebook (ala The Bane Chronicles). They will sell it as a hardcopy bundle when the whole series have been published, and I’m definitely getting that too (more Simon! more Izzy!).
However, I cannot wait that long and my sister and I have been purchasing each book as it comes out (like literally on the same day when it comes out).
I’ve read the latest one, the sixth book in the series, Pale Kings and Princes. There are still four books to go, but I figure I would give an overview of the first six books and my rating (and totally biased opinion). I try not to judge each book by the amount of Izzy Sizzy moments in it, but I might have failed.
ALSO, SPOILER WARNING! Not that spoilery, I will not spill major plot twist, but I will mention which characters are in the book. Also, there will be spoilers for TMI and TID
SPOILER WARNING!
Without further ado, here are my ranking for Book #1 – #6 in TFTSA.
- The Evil We Love (Book #5) 4 out of 5 stars
There must be something wrong with me to put this most heartbreaking book at the top of my list. I used to like Robert Lightwood, then despised him, and now after reading this book, I have conflicted feelings about him. I disagree of things he has done in the past, but I couldn’t help but hope that he could cross that bridge to Izzy and Alec. It’s also very interesting to get a view of Valentine’s circle from Robert’s eyes, since we only get to see it from Clary’s POV in TMI. Oh, and anytime Izzy made an appearance, the book gets 50 times better. - Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (Book #1) 4 out of 5 stars
As the first book in the series, it has the difficult job because it has to convince you to read the rest of the books in the series. Fortunately, Cassie, with the help ofmy-heroSarah Rees Brennan, managed to deliver with the combination of humor, characters, and interesting premise. We get to meet the new kids, the ever-so-likeable George Lovelace, and the rest of them, Julie, Jon, Marisol, and Beatriz. I have to say, aside from George, I don’t really connect with the rest of the students. Perhaps, it’s just me being too accustomed with Clary and Jace and Alec and Izzy. Having said that, I absolutely adore Catarina Loss. Magnus is still my favorite warlock, but Catarina is catching up, she’s now a very close second. (I also like Ragnor. Apparently I have crushes on warlock. Apparently). - The Lost Herondale (Book #2) 4 out of 5 stars
I fell in love with Catarina Loss in this book. I adore her in the first book, but this book cemented my love for her. There is something special with her, not only magical but also one of the most earnest character in the Cassie’s shadowhunter stories. She’s willing to tolerate shadowhunters (many of whom look down at downworlders) for the greater good. In The Lost Herondale, she told Simon a secret about a long-lost shadowhunter, Tobias Herondale. I couldn’t tell you what’s the secret without spoiling the story, but it’s definitely heartbreaking. Oh and Clary came for a visit :). - Pale Kings and Princes (Book #6) 4 out of 5 stars
This one basically tells a story about racism, how shadowhunters look down on any fae descendants. **SPOILER WARNING FOR CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE** After what happened in City of Heavenly Fire, the shadowhunters grew to dislike (and distrust) the fae even more than before. They punished Helen Blackthorn, a shadowhunter of fairy descendant, by sending her to an isolated place. She was accompanied by her girlfriend, Aline. In this book, Helen was called to the Shadowhunter Academy to tell a story of her parents and to teach the students to never trust fae. Simon felt that action was low and of course, being Simon, he expressed his opinion loudly to some shadowhunters dismay.
I gave it 4 stars because this just hit home for me, and I think many people will be able to relate to the story. - Nothing but Shadows (Book #4) 3 out of 5 stars
If you miss the Herondales (Will family, that is), you will love this book. This ebook is the story of James Herondale’s days in the academy. We met James briefly in the Bane Chronicles, but this TFTSA story-I think-preceded the Bane Chronicles’ one. James Herondale felt he didn’t belong because of many things, but one important thing is because he is half-warlock. In this book, due to an incident that happened when he was in the academy, James found himself even more strangely separated from other shadowhunters, but on the bright side, he met his future parabatai.
The James story was actually pretty good, the one thing I don’t like in this book is weirdly the dregs vs the elites stuff that happened. The whole thing was strangely felt out of place for me. - The Whitechapel Fiend (Book #3) 3 out of 5 stars
It’s not a bad book, it’s just that I have trouble connecting with this one. I love the characters (it was another Will-Tessa book) and I enjoy reading Maureen Johnson’s series about Jack The Ripper. However, combined together, the formula didn’t quite work out. The sequence of events are sometimes felt forced and rushed. Too many things happened. Ultimately, I think that this book tried too hard to put too many things into a short story. The concept is nice and might have worked in longer novel, but it doesn’t quite work here.
So, there you have it, my reviews for the first 6 short stories in Tales from The Shadowhunter Academy. I might edit this list in the future as I read the 7th – 10th book.
Do you agree or disagree with my opinion? Which one is your favorite? Let’s discuss.
Windie
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